used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
any thing at all
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
boltnounUS /boʊlt/
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
circledverbUS /ˈsɜːrkəld/
past form of “circle” — travel around something
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
crawledverbUS /krɔːld/
past form of “crawl” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
daybreaknounUS /ˈdeɪbreɪk/
the first light of day
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
take in solid food
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
at any time
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
start firing a weapon
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
made afraid
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The metallic thub, thub, thub grew louder.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
louderadjectiveUS /ˈlaʊdər/
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The metallic thub, thub, thub grew louder.
messengersnounUS /ˈmesəndʒərz/
plural of “messenger” — a person who carries a message
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
metallicadjectiveUS /məˈtælɪk/
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading The metallic thub, thub, thub grew louder.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
picketedverbUS /ˈpɪkətɪd/
past form of “picket” — serve as pickets or post pickets
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
poniesnounUS /ˈpoʊniz/
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
prepareverbUS /priˈper/
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
in the near future
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
sparselyadverbUS /ˈspɑːrsli/
in a sparse way
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
successfullyadverbUS /səkˈsesfəli/
with success; in a successful manner
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
thub
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The metallic thub, thub, thub grew louder.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
troublingadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəlɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
precisely as stated
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
at the time that
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
wildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
showing curiosity
From this reading Dick had almost fallen asleep when he was startled by a most peculiar sound—a sound so unusual and different from anything that he had ever heard since coming to the northern wilderness, that he sat bolt upright, wondering if his senses had not suddenly deserted him.
woodedadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdɪd/
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading A few hours before daybreak they had successfully circled the fire and had reached a sparsely wooded height of land.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading So tired and worn out were the three messengers, that as soon as they had picketed out their ponies, they crawled into their blankets without troubling to prepare something to eat.
but in spite of that
From this reading He sat staring in the darkness, bewildered, a little frightened, and yet very curious to know its cause.
